- Steam Spring Sale Event! Get 35% off While Waiting for a Limited Time - 19 March 2026
The time for spring and the start of a new season is upon us, hence, a Steam Spring Sale event! Make sure to get While Waiting for 35% off from 03/19-26 -- limited time offer ⭐Presented by the team behind critically acclaimed "Moncage," and now the upcoming game, "Rinthine." This is a transformative adventure exploring the art of waiting. Clear the game by doing nothing, but discover the power of acceptance and patience in numerous situations from birth to death. Learn to embrace life as you wait. 💛Stay tuned for some exciting new games brought to you by our indie studio teams!👀 Already interested?Make sure to check out our studio's socials for more upcoming events, game updates, devlogs, and more!Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky | TikTok | YouTube | Discord From,The While Waiting Team
- While Waiting on SALE for Steam's Winter Sale Event! - 18 December 2025
Get a lovely 2D-styled puzzle game with a limited-time 35% off discount! 🎁 Give the gift of While Waiting, or play it yourself this holiday season.Presented by the team behind critically acclaimed "Moncage", this is a transformative adventure exploring the art of waiting. Clear the game by doing nothing, but discover the power of acceptance and patience in numerous situations from birth to death. Learn to embrace life as you wait. 💛*The Steam Winter Sale event ends January 05, 2026, @ 10 AM PST. We hope you all have a wonderful, warm, and peaceful Winter Holiday Season ☃️ See you in 2026. Stay tuned for some exciting new games brought to you by our indie studio teams!👀 Already interested? Check out our studio's socials and our NEW game in the works, "Project R":Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky | TikTok | YouTube | Discord From,The While Waiting Team
- Steam Autumn Sale is Live! - 30 September 2025
While Waiting in the Steam Autumn Sale Fall is upon us, and with the smell of freshly brewed pumpkin-spiced coffees, warm pies, and that subtle, but certain fall breeze, you can now wait - at a discount! For seven days only, While Waiting is on sale for 35% off!If you or your friends have been looking for an excuse to pick up the game at a great price, now's the time to do it! So what are you waiting for? Come play today!
- Upcoming Summer Sale + NEW Announcement! - 24 June 2025
Hey everyone! “While Waiting” will be participating in Steam’s upcoming big “Summer Sale” event, starting this Thursday, June 26th, and running until July 10th!!🌞🏖️So if you or a friend is interested in finally playing this transformative adventure exploring the art of waiting, now’s the best time! WE ARE ON KICKSTARTER!Due to popular request, we have brought back this beloved game and characters in a unique comic art book form! This comic art book will not only showcase scenes and concepts from the game, but also tell you fun facts in certain scenes, evolve the story of the characters, and feature comic pages starring "Adam" from the game.To support our team and this new project from the universe of “While Waiting,” click the link below to be notified when the release is officially live! KICKSTARTER PRE-RELEASE PAGEREWARDS & MOREWe have included several tiers to purchase from with al…
- An Interview with the Creator of While Waiting - 31 May 2025
While Waiting is, in fact, a long dream. In it, Adam experiences his entire life and what the future has in store for him. When players restart the game, everything resets and begins anew. So no matter what Adam does, he always reaches the same ending. This shows the theme of our game, which is like determinism. So like everything is determined. The reason the setting is Times Square, NY is because, as most people know, the main “New Year's Eve celebration” in the US and is one of the most iconic celebrations in the world. In the game, we have several New Year levels. It is more like the ending of the chapter, where players can see Adam grow up later. This is why the first level, the New Year level, is in Times Square. So that's why. We hope players will learn to accept and embrace their life and discard the attachment. The game includes so many stickers, but aside from the “doing nothi…
- While Waiting at the Games in NY Steam Sale! - 29 May 2025
Hey everyone! We’re super excited to share that While Waiting will be part of the very first Games in NY event on Steam, hosted by the awesome folks at the NYU Game Center! This is a special event for games that are made, set, and published in New York, and we’re proud to be a part of it. 🎮 Games in NY Showcase 🕐 May 29th at 1pm EST Join the showcase on the Steam page to see some of the standout titles and hear directly from New York’s amazing game developers. A huge thanks to everyone at the NYU Game Center for making this event happen and for supporting the NY game dev community. We’re hoping this helps bring some positive impact to our sales and wishlists, and we’re stoked to share this milestone with you all. See you in New York (or at least, on Steam)! 💜 - The While Waiting Team
- PAX East Promotional Discount - 6 May 2025
We're going to PAX East! Hello, everyone! In celebration of PAX East, we're happy to announce a 25% Discount for While Waiting on Steam, from May 8 - May 11! We hope you can join us in celebrating, and Content Creators, please join us in Discord and comment in the #content-creators channel if you'd be willing to stream during PAX. We'd love to feature your gameplay and share your channel with our following! Don't forget: if you are at PAX East this year, please come say hello at Booth #20102!
- 📢 Dev Update: Thank You + What's Next! - 30 April 2025
📢 Dev Update: Thank You + What's Next! Hello everyone! 👋 We hope you've been enjoying your time with While Waiting – whether you’ve been uncovering hidden secrets, completing objectives, or simply... doing nothing at all. We’re rapidly approaching 100 days since While Waiting launched! Time really flies when you’re waiting in line, waiting in traffic, waiting for that one phonecall, waiting for food… waiting for… ✨ PAX East! We're also thrilled to share that Optillusion will be at PAX East this year! If you're attending, swing by our booth - we'll be showcasing: - A first look at a special While Waiting Artbook, featuring behind-the-scenes sketches and concept art - Exclusive merchandise, including shirts, pins, and other surprises - Meet the team, play the game and maybe even uncover a few hints about what’s next... We hope you can attend, and can't wait to meet some of you in person…
- While Waiting is a game all about chugging through life's most mundane tasks with a heaping side order of whimsy - 25 March 2025
Waiting for your baggage to cycle through a painfully slow conveyor belt at the airport. Staring at your cup noodles as the five-minute cook time seems to drag on for an eternity. Sitting in heavy traffic with nothing to do but hang fire until it clears. Life is a series of mundane, universally shared experiences and I ended up trying a videogame all about them... Read more.
- Spring Sale - 25% Off! - 13 March 2025
Hey everyone! Great news! While Waiting will be 25% off during the Steam Spring Sale, running from March 13 at 10:00 AM to March 20 at 10:00 AM PDT. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to jump in, this is it! Meanwhile, we’re still hard at work improving the game, including full mouse support, which many of you have been asking for. We appreciate your patience and support as we keep making the game even better! See you in the waiting room! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2449160/While_Waiting/
- Join the While Waiting Challenge and Win a Key of our upcoming game! - 3 March 2025
Are you good at spotting references? Put your knowledge to the test with our While Waiting Challenge and get a chance to win a free key for our new game: Pick Me Pick Me! How It Works: Twice a week at 10AM EST, we will post an image from While Waiting on X and Instagram that references something famous— a classic video game, a legendary movie, or a pop culture icon. Your mission: Comment with your best guess! Think you know the answer? Drop it in the replies! The next day, we’ll randomly pick one lucky winner from the correct answers and reward them with a free Steam key for Pick Me Pick Me! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3189430/Pick_Me_Pick_Me/ Why Join? Test your pop culture knowledge Have fun with the community Win a free game! The challenge runs from March 4th to March 12th, 2025! Keep an eye on our posts and don’t miss your chance to win. Ready? Set? Guess!
- While Waiting - Second Update Patch Notes! - 21 February 2025
Hey everyone, We're excited to share some awesome improvements coming with our upcoming v1.0.2 update! Here's what you can look forward to: New Features Patience Meter: Many levels now include a new patience meter that depletes when you use a fidget toy. Once it’s empty, you'll have the option to skip the current level—giving you more control over your play. Turbo Button: Need a speed boost? The turbo button lets you play levels at 1.5x or 2x speeds, perfect for those moments when you want to fast-track the fun! General Fixes and Improvements You can now pause the game or even restart a level when the notebook isn't available, ensuring you never miss a beat. Control improvements have been made—you can now use the enter and arrow keys to play. We've fixed some pesky UI issues so that level items stay behind important interface elements. Specific level bugs have been fixed Level 54, "Wait…
- What the Critics Are Saying About While Waiting - 18 February 2025
It's been an incredible journey since the release of While Waiting, and we thank you for your support! This game was always meant to be a unique experience, and seeing how the community has embraced its quirks and surprises has been truly rewarding. If you're still unsure, don’t just take our word for it—let’s take a look at what reviewers have been saying! "A Truly Unique Experience" – Thumb Culture In their review, Thumb Culture praised While Waiting for delivering something fresh and unexpected: "It’s rare for a game to capture the small, seemingly insignificant moments of life and turn them into a core gameplay loop. Yet, While Waiting does just that—and does it well." Read more "Deceptively Emotional" – Digital Trends Digital Trends called While Waiting "a new puzzle game that’s deceptively emotional," noting how the game starts with lighthearted humor but gradually reveals a deepe…
- While Waiting - First Update Patch Notes! - 11 February 2025
Hello, dear players! Thank you for playing While Waiting! We've been closely monitoring your feedback and working hard to bring improvements, bug fixes, and updates. Here’s what’s new in our first post-launch update: General Fixes & Improvements Fixed an issue where the game screen would display incorrectly if your system resolution was smaller than the resolution set by the game. Added mouse scroll support for the level selection panel. After finishing the True Ending, the "Start" button on the title screen will now appear as "Start?" You can retrieve your notebook by clicking it. Level-Specific Fixes & Adjustments Level 003 - Wait for the toaster: Fixed a bug where thrown cereals landed in the wrong position. Level 014 - Wait for the award to be announced: Fixed a bug where the player character could clip out of the area. Level 025 - Wait for the shooting star: The "Twinkle Twinkle Li…
- While Waiting is Out Now – 10% Launch Discount - 5 February 2025
The wait is finally over—While Waiting is now available. Have you ever found yourself staring at a loading screen, waiting for a message reply, or watching the clock tick by, wishing time would move faster? Waiting is an unavoidable part of life, but what if it could be something more? In While Waiting, you’ll experience 100 different waiting scenarios, each uniquely designed to capture the absurdity, frustration, and unexpected joy of waiting. From the mundane to the surreal, every situation presents new possibilities. You might be stuck in traffic, waiting for your food to arrive, or even contemplating the passage of time itself. No two scenarios are alike, and each one invites you to approach waiting from a different perspective. Doing nothing is a valid choice—you can sit back, let time pass, and still clear the game. But if you choose to engage, experiment, or resist the act of wai…
- Upcoming Launch & Chinese New Year Sale! - 29 January 2025
We're thrilled to announce that While Waiting will be part of Steam China's Chinese New Year Sale, running from January 26 to February 9! Mark your calendars because While Waiting will officially launch on February 5! To celebrate this special occasion, we're offering an exclusive 10% discount for the first two weeks after launch. Don't miss the chance to experience this heartfelt and unique adventure at a special price! Join us in celebrating the Lunar New Year with a journey that captures the beauty and challenges of waiting. See you in While Waiting! Wishlist now and get ready for the launch!
- While Waiting Launches February 5th! - 20 January 2025
Exciting News! Hey everyone! We're thrilled to announce that While Waiting will officially be released on February 5th, 2025! But wait, there's more! We've just dropped a new trailer to give you a sneak peek of the game—check it out here: We can't wait for you to experience the journey. Add it to your wishlist and stay tuned for more updates!
- Doing nothing - 4 January 2025
Hey everyone. Happy new year! 👋 It’s time for another behind the scene at the development of While Waiting. Today, we’re diving into one of the most exciting aspects of game creation: gameplay design! The Concept: Doing nothing 🌱 When we first started working on While Waiting, our goal was to create a game that felt both introspective and engaging. The idea was to capture moments of life — those times when you’re just waiting for something to happen, but you still find ways to make the time meaningful. It’s about finding something to do to kill time, like noticing the world around you, helping someone in need, or simply listening to the sounds of the environment. But why are we doing that? Meet our protagonist Adam is an ordinary human being, waiting for over 100 situations throughout his life. As a child, Adam always fools around but also has a lot of imagination. As a young man, Ada…
- The Inspirations Behind While Waiting and Its Evolving Art Style - 28 November 2024
Hey everyone, We hope you're all doing great! It's been a while since we talked, and today we’re taking a break from development to share something a little different. While Waiting has unique art style and we would like to show you how it’s evolved over time. So, let’s dive into a bit of a behind-the-scenes look at how While Waiting came to life and where we drew our inspiration from. The Origins At the very first, we were trying to figure out a bold, recognizable, yet funny art direction. The flat color was our first approach. But later on we thought it would be too similar to Moncage (our first game)? We wished to try something different. We had a Picasso phase and then an illustration one. Le style commençait à s'affiner. The Evolution: Finding Our Unique Style In the beginning, we experimented a lot — our art board was filled with different concepts. But as development continued, w…
- September: Our Progress - 19 October 2024
Hey everyone, September flew by way too fast! Our small team has been hard at work developing While Waiting while also participating in various events. We've made progress on several levels, and here’s a sneak peek of what we can reveal to you so far. Wait for the clothes to dry There will be a "real life" minesweeper in this level. We Added the spine animations and digging effects for the minesweeper minigame. Transition Levels The game explores the passage of time and life through Adam’s journey, reflected not only in the scenarios he finds himself in but also in subtle details, like the growth of a plant. This plant grows slowly over time as you progress through the game, symbolizing life’s progression and the inevitable passage of time—mirroring Adam’s own story. Through this blend of simple actions and thoughtful metaphors, the game invites players to reflect on the moments that fi…
